Dr. Yusuf Goran, the KRG Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research said: "the Kurdistan region now is in the initial stage of extracting and using those natural resources that may put negative impact on the Kurdistan Region's environment in the future."

This statement by Dr. Yusuf Goran came during addressing an International Scientific Conference, which was jointly held on April 12-13, 2015 by Salahaddin and Eshq Universities in the capital city of Erbil.

In his speech to the conference Dr. Yusuf Goran indicated the role and duties of the universities in the Kurdistan region, saying:" it is very important that our universities to make Kurdistan and the Kurdish society the source and aim of their researches, accordingly our universities should point out the issues and try to find proper solutions."

"The duty of the universities should go beyond teaching lectures and science to the students, but our priorities should be taking responsibility towards our society and its issues as well as trying to find scientific and academic solutions to the issues," he added.

Nearly 150 local and foreign academics attended the Second International Scientific Conference of Salahaddin and Eshq Universities, and 42 researches were accepted, and %60 of the researches were made by the University of Salahaddin. At the international level universities of Malaysia, Turkey, and India and at the local level universities of Soran, Zakho, and Mosul participated in the conference.

Full text of Dr. Yusuf Goran's speech the Second International Scientific Conference of Salahaddin and Eshq Universities:

Dear attendees,

Distinguished guests,

I am happy today we have met in the Second International Scientific Conference of Salahaddin and Eshq Universities to talk about and examine the global and scientific phenomenon of environment and energy, hoping the topics of this conference will lead to taking more importance to this key and sensitive issue in the Kurdistan region.

Dears,

In the current era, researching and taking importance to the topic of the impact of energy resources and methods of energy extraction upon human environment and its negative consequences upon the society, has taken a broad global trend. Since the last decade of the twenty century the process of going too far in using world energy resources in an imbalanced way, has made negative impacts on the human environment including water, air and soil. Consequently, all the academic centers, and international organizations currently are seeking a balance between developing economy in one hand, as well as cleaning the earth from dangerous results of this development on environment. On the other hand, the scientists now think destroying the humanity environment, which is the earth, leaves no meaning of the development of economy and increasing energy resources, since in the end of the day the Human Being is the main aim of all things.

Dear attendees,

Holding this conference has its own importance to the current era of Kurdistan, as the Kurdistan region now is in the initial stage of extracting and using those natural resources that may put negative impact on the Kurdistan Region's environment in the future, thus it is very important our understanding for this issue will be in the direction of keeping a balance between the usage of energy resources industry and preserving the clean environment of Kurdistan.

Comrades,

It is very important that our universities to make Kurdistan and the Kurdish society the source and aim of their researches, accordingly our universities should point out the issues and try to find proper solutions. The duty of the universities should go beyond teaching lectures and science to the students, but our priorities should be taking responsibility towards our society and its issues as well as trying to find scientific and academic solutions to the issues.

Finally, I appreciate activists of this scientific conference, and I hope this conference to be a crucial station for furthering keeping environment, environment-friendship and balanced development in our Kurdistan.